Using conocer instead of saber won't work in this situation. Knowing facts, information, or how to do something always calls for saber.
Use conocer with people you've met, places you've been to or things you're familiar with (usually indicating intimate knowledge because you have touched, handled, or studied the thing).

Conocer is the direct opposite of the intended verb here: it's about experiential knowledge, and the point of the given sentence is that by imparting intellectual knowledge the teenagers might avoid learning the hard way.